concepts
type: Collection
type: ConceptGroup
member: speech act theory

interpersonal concepts
type: Concept
narrower: speech act theory

semiotic, linguistic, and discursive orientations
type: Concept
narrower: speech act theory

social-interactional orientations
type: Concept
narrower: speech act theory

speech act theory
type: Concept
broader: social-interactional orientations
broader: semiotic, linguistic, and discursive orientations
broader: interpersonal concepts
definition: Speech act theory, most commonly associated with the work of John Searle, explains how messages express speakers' intentions. Traditionally, meaning was viewed as the referents of words and grammar, but speech act theory widens the concept to include the expressed intentions behind utterances. [Source: Encyclopedia of Communication Theory; Speech Act Theory]